ArtWalk founder’s work set for Red Rock center showing

Mark Vranesh looks through some of his paintings Oct. 10, 2017. His approach to art will be part of his talk at Red Rock Canyon, planned for Nov. 12. Despite no formal art training, he’s never been a starving artist. His message to young artists is, “Be inspired to create.” (Jan Hogan/View)

Mark Vranesh discusses his basket weaving, which will also be part of his talk at Red Rock Canyon Oct. 10, 2017. Despite no formal art training, he’s never been a starving artist. “I tell my artists friends,don’t give up your day job. It’s becoming in increasingly difficult (to support oneself as an artist). I could never do today what I did in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s a different world now.” (Jan Hogan/View)

Children's coloring pages, seen Oct. 10, 2017, will be part of Mark Vranesh's presentation Nov. 12 at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Visitors to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area might see Mark Vranesh’s work when he is the featured artist of Red Rock’s Second Sundays: Artists and Authors, planned for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 12 at the visitors center. There’s no fee to enter the park that day.

He plans a demonstration of mixed-media techniques as well as a talk about being an artist and what inspires him. His program includes a project for youngsters. The event is free and open to the public.

Stacie Coppens, assistant manager in the retail shop and part of the Southern Nevada Conservancy, said guest speakers usually offer something informational and interpretive.

“Anything that’s interactive, people love,” she said.

Vranesh was born in Las Vegas, the son of a Nevada Test Site worker.

He studied at the California Western School of Law in San Diego and said a bout of mononucleosis rendered him housebound for weeks.

It proved life-changing. A friend brought over a beginner’s watercolor kit, and he used the down time to teach himself to paint. He was soon selling his paintings in galleries, so successfully that his new hobby paid his tuition. After he earned a degree, he returned to Las Vegas and art became his life’s work. Red Rock was a favorite topic, and he had a special affinity for the petroglyphs found there.

Many locals know Vranesh as the founder of ArtWalk, an annual event in Summerlin that features artists and craftspeople.

Three years ago, he began a new project for his art. He calls it “On the Road … Route 66.” Vranesh takes photos of what he finds along its path — old, abandoned vehicles, mom-and-pop diners, hand-painted signs — and recreates them in sepia tones, then adds color on top. He also sketches what he sees.

The project has taken him on road trips around the Southwest and beyond. Most of it is following old back roads, crisscrossing the major highways, finding spots where life moves at a slower pace.

He has been on the road so much, his Subaru, purchased just before the road trips began, just hit 62,000 miles. He’ll stop at diners and talk to locals. While there, he tries the local dishes.

“I could get a steak anywhere, but how often do you see ‘fried chicken liver’ on a menu?” he asked.

At a place near Gallup, New Mexico, Vranesh learned how to make green chili with pork.

The whimsy of Route 66 includes an old truck with life-size posters of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe inside, an ice cream parlor with gaudy statues depicting a pink elephant, the Blues Brothers and Betty Boop, and a gift shop selling eclectic items. Most of the places are independent and family-owned.

“In 10 years, a lot of these places won’t be here. It’s not like they’re the big chains,” Vranesh said. “I’m doing my part to preserve the memories from Route 66.”

Contact Jan Hogan at jhogan@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2949.